Addresses  Delivered  at  the  Induction  of 
Frederic  Benjamin  Stiven 

DIRECTOR  OF  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MUSIC 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
THURSDAY  EVENING,  DECEMBER  15,  1921 
SMITH  MEMORIAL  HALL 


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in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


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c 

ADDRESSES 

Music  and  the  University 5 

Doctor  Peter  Christian  Lutkin,  Dean  of  the  Northwestern 
University  School  of  Music 

The  Induction 14 

President  David  Kinley 

The  Contribution  of  the  School  of  Music  to  the  State  and  the 
University 18 

Professor  Frederic  B.  Stiven,  Director  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  School  of  Music 


PROGRAM  OF  THE  INDUCTION  EXERCISES 


The  President  of  the  University  presiding 

Musical  numbers  by  members  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
School  of  Music 

MUSIC — (a)  Theme  and  Variations  in  E Flat  Minor,  for 

two  pianos  Chr.  Sinding 

Miss  Katherine  Seelye 
Mr.  Henri  J.  van  den  Berg 
(b)  Quartet,  “Bella  figlia  delP  amore,”  (Rigo- 

letto)  Verdi 

Miss  Lillian  Irene  Rutlin 
Miss  Edna  Lenore  Cass 
Mr.  Frank  Tatham  Johnson 
Mr.  Arthur  Beresford 
Miss  Edna  Almeda  Treat,  at  the  piano 


PRAYER 

Reverend  S.  E.  Fisher,  Minister,  University  Place  Christian  Church 

ADDRESS — “Music  and  the  University” 

Doctor  P.  C.  Lutkin,  Dean  of  Northwestern  University  School  of  Music 


MUSIC— Violin 

(a)  Berceuse,  opus  28,  No.  3 Paul  Juon 

(b)  Hymne  au  Printemps,  opus  18,  No.  3 

jaraslav  Kocian 

Mr.  Manoah  Leide 


Mr.  van  den  Berg,  at  the  piano 


REMARKS — President  David  Kinley 

ADDRESS — “The  Contribution  of  the  School  of  Music  to  the 
State  and  the  University” 

Director  Frederic  B.  Stiven 


WELCOME  to  the  New  Director — 

Assistant  Professor  George  Foss  Schwartz,  of  the  School  of  Music 
Provost  Kendric  C.  Babcock,  University  of  Illinois 

SONG — “By  Thy  Rivers  Gently  Flowing” 

(to  the  music  by  Walter  Howe  Jones,  former  member  of 
the  faculty  of  the  School  of  Music) 

By  the  Assembly,  Mr.  Johnson  leading 
Miss  Treat,  at  the  piano 

BENEDICTION — Reverend  S.  E.  Fisher 


MUSIC  IN  THE  UNIVERSITY 


Peter  Christian  Lutkin 

The  definition  of  the  word  education  is  constantly  undergo- 
ing readjustments  and  additions.  Our  world  of  increasing  com- 
plexities is  continually  demanding  more  and  more  of  its  inhabi- 
tants. President  Butler  complains  that  modern  college  courses 
are  concerned  less  and  less  with  teaching  us  how  to  live  and  more 
and  more  occupied  with  teaching  us  how  to  get  a living. 
Now-a-days  life  is  too  crowded  and  brief  to  permit  a man  to  acquire 
a scholarly  education  of  the  old  type  and  at  the  same  time  to 
perfect  himself  in  specialized  work.  The  most  we  can  hope  for 
is  a certain  proportion  of  the  elements  of  general  culture  mixed 
in  with  the  insistent  demands  of  specific  or  professional  training, 
and  the  proper  proportioning  of  these  elements  is  a subject  al- 
most sure  to  provoke  debate  and  dispute. 

A rightly  balanced  scheme  of  education  will  concern  itself 
first  with  the  things  that  have  to  do  with  every  day  life  from  its 
simplest  to  its  most  complex  aspects;  in  the  second  place  with 
the  things  that  have  to  do  with  morals  and  conduct;  and  in  the 
third  place  with  the  things  that  have  to  do  with  art  and  art  appre- 
ciation. There  is  an  increasing  tendency  to  stress  the  materialistic 
side  of  education.  This  department  requires  no  championing  and 
needs  no  lengthy  explanation  to  university  trustees  or  boards 
of  education.  But  the  last  huge  chapter  in  world  history  teaches 
us  most  vividly  that  highly  developed  intellectual  or  technical 
training  without  moral  sense  is  not  only  negatively  deplorable  but 
is  positively  the  most  baneful  and  pernicious  end  that  education 
can  positively  serve.  Highly  trained  minds  devoid  of  ethics  or 
morals  lead  only  to  the  grossest  evils  in  the  body  politic. 

A great  international  conference  at  Washington  is  at  this 
moment  principally  concerned  with  bringing  into  its  proper  equa- 
tion the  moral  sense  of  nations.  But  the  moral  sense  of  a nation 
can  hardly  be  greater  than  the  moral  sense  of  the  individual. 
Hence  it  is  our  bounden  duty  to  see  that  ethics  and  morals  are 
brought  to  a more  definite  and  conspicuous  place  in  our  educational 
scheme,  from  the  kindergarten  to  the  post-graduate  school.  We 
should  be  skilful  and  tactful  enough  to  be  ever  impressing  our 
students  with  the  immense  gulf  between  good  and  evil,  right  and 
wrong,  honesty  and  dishonesty,  purity  and  impurity,  high-mind- 
edness and  grossness,  responsibility  and  irresponsibility.  I fear 
this  is  a branch  of  education  that  cannot  be  standardized.  It  can 
only  be  taught  as  a reflex  of  personal  conviction  and  character 
upon  the  part  of  the  instructor. 


5 


However,  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  enlarge  upon  matters  which 
many  of  my  audience  are  far  better  able  to  discuss  than  myself. 
So  I will  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the  third  essential  of  a 
balanced  education — art — a subject  in  which  I am  intensely  in- 
terested and  to  which  I have  devoted  the  major  part  of  my  life. 

I think  you  will  all  agree  with  me  in  picturing  the  ideal  man 
as  being  cultured,  intelligent,  moral,  and  art-loving.  These  four 
qualities  seem  to  be  the  fundamental  endowments  of  human 
nature.  Not  infrequently  we  find  men  with  a fair  equipment  of 
all  four.  To  know  them  is  a delight  and  privilege.  Less  fortunate 
humans  may  be  classified  as  uncultured,  unintelligent,  immoral 
or  unmoral,  and  quite  devoid  of  the  artistic  sense.  They  are  in- 
deed to  be  pitied.  A preponderance  of  any  one  endowment  seems 
to  be  at  the  expense  of  one  or  more  of  the  remaining.  We  all 
know  the  absorbed  scientist  who  bothers  himself  but  little  with 
ethics  and  less  with  art.  He  goes  through  life  with  scant  knowl- 
edge of  the  satisfaction  of  moral  well-doing  or  the  joys  of  art 
appreciation.  We  are  familiar  with  the  keen  and  intelligent  man 
of  affairs,  completely  immersed  in  his  material  life  and  when  that 
is  taken  from  him  nothing  is  left,  and  mental  or  physical  collapse 
is  likely  to  follow.  To  others,  religion  is  the  beginning  and  end 
of  human  attainments.  Such  an  one  may  be  without  formal  edu- 
cation, he  may  be  a child  in  worldly  affairs  and  utterly  devoid  of 
reaction  to  art  in  any  of  its  manifestations.  Some  of  this  type 
under  the  urge  of  religious  zeal  accomplish  miracles  in  swaying 
the  hearts  of  men  and  in  comprehending  the  workings  of  the 
human  soul.  While  we  admire  them  we  deplore  their  limitations. 
Lastly  we  have  the  artistic  soul  who  responds  to  any  expression 
of  beauty,  be  it  the  grace  of  words,  a blend  of  color,  a lure  of  out- 
line, or  a concord  of  sweet  sounds.  He  may  be  quite  godless 
and  an  offense  to  the  'Scholarly  mind,  but  still  he  possesses  some- 
thing which  may  be  envied  of  all  men,  for  he  lives  in  a world  of 
the  imagination,  full  of  joys  and  thrills,  and  far  removed  from  the 
dull  routine  of  ordinary  life. 

The  seeds  of  artistic  appreciation  are  planted  in  every  human 
being  and  it  should  be  the  part  of  education  to  seek  these  seeds 
— no  matter  how  deeply  hidden — and  to  tend  to  and  nurture  them. 
Enjoyment  of  art,  intelligent  or  unintelligent,  is  a precious  thing. 
It  is  ever  with  us,  ever  ready  to  counteract  the  sordid  and  materi- 
alistic, ever  ready  to  supply  us  with  sane  and  satisfying  entertain- 
ment, ever  ready  to  expand  our  emotional  life  and  to  feed  our 
cravings  for  better  and  higher  things  with  wholesome  and  endur- 
ing nutriment.  Few  men  who  have  once  learned  to  appreciate 
and  enjoy  fine  poetry,  painting,  sculpture  and  architecture,  or 
music  would  willingly  surrender  their  capacity  for  pleasure  in 


6 


these  regards.  History  is  replete  with  men  who  have  undergone 
great  hardships  and  endured  poverty  and  want  rather  than  give 
up  the  artistic  life.  Great  scientists  in  their  latter  days  have  de- 
plored their  lack  of  artistic  susceptibility  and  professional  men 
realize  too  late  the  need  of  a counterirritant  to  an  exacting  daily 
routine.  Even  a small  taste  of  art  means  much  to  many  hungry 
souls.  I recall  particularly  a hard-handed  business  man  and  a 
civil  engineer,  both  of  whose  lives  were  literally  transformed  by 
the  seductions  of  Japanese  art,  and  a well-known  educator  who 
wished  to  high  heaven  that  he  had  had  less  mathematics  and 
more  music  in  his  youth.  If  art  can  mean  so  much  to  man  there 
is  surely  something  amiss  in  an  education  which  makes  no  pro- 
vision for  its  development,  which  makes  no  effort  to  discover 
latent  possibilities  in  our  youth,  or  what  is  far  worse,  which  tends 
to  deaden  and  extinguish  the  spark  of  appreciation  of  things 
beautiful  and  noble. 

The  study  and  final  comprehension  of  music  as  an  art  is  in 
the  last  analysis  a development  of  the  better  emotions  and  an 
education  in  the  finer  perceptions.  The  art  of  music  embraces 
within  itself  not  only  the  essence  of  the  sister  arts  but  also  no 
inconsiderable  amount  of  the  exact  sciences,  and  the  educational 
value  of  music  study  can  only  be  appreciated  by  those  who  have 
pursued  it  earnestly  and  persistently.  Music  has  all  the  emo- 
tional charm  of  poetry  and  its  rhythmical  possibilities  far  trans- 
cend those  of  verse,  for  music  is  not  confined  to  a single  voice  or 
to  the  restricted  capacity  of  human  utterance.  It  is  polyphonic 
and  its  many  voices  may  discuss  and  argue,  agree  and  disagree, 
simultaneously.  Like  painting,  it  has  light  and  shade,  color  and 
perspective.  From  sculpture  it  appropriates  beauty  of  outline 
and  symmetry  of  proportion,  while,  like  architecture,  it  is  based 
upon  well-defined  structural  principles  and  the  minutest  parts 
must  have  a just  and  precise  relation  to  the  whole.  It  has  logic  of 
development  in  its  highest  and  acutest  sense.  It  must  obey  the 
laws  of  proportion  and  contrast,  of  variety  and  unity.  It  exacts 
mathematical  precision  and  nicety.  It  demands  sympathetic  in- 
tellectuality and  keenest  intuition.  It  emphasizes  order  and 
method.  It  is  essentially  spiritual.  It  voices  the  whole  gamut 
of  the  emotions  and  disciplines  and  develops  the  inner  as  well  as 
the  outer  ear.  If  we  consider  artistic  performance,  no  other 
study  combines  at  one  and  the  same  time  so  much  mental,  emo- 
tional and  physical  activity.  Few  other  occupations  make  such 
demands  upon  nervous  and  muscular  control.  None  other  of  the 
arts  contains  so  many  integral  parts  or  requires  such  intricate 
machinery  for  the  proper  presentation  of  its  greater  master  works. 
The  sculptor  wields  his  mallet  and  chisel  and  the  shapeless  mass 


7 


of  marble  is  changed  to  an  enduring  work  of  art  which  appeals 
at  once  to  the  beholders.  The  painter  uses  his  palette,  brush 
and  colors,  and  the  finished  product  tells  its  own  story  without 
extraneous  assistance.  The  poet  or  philosopher  pens  his  deepest 
thoughts  and  the  printed  page  presents  them  permanently  to  the 
world  at  large. 

But  the  composer  cannot  reach  his  public  so  directly.  Through 
a tedious  process  he  must  commit  his  ideas  to  paper.  They  are 
then  a sealed  book  as  far  as  the  general  public  is  concerned.  He 
depends  upon  at  least  two  agencies  before  his  musical  thoughts 
receive  expression.  First  comes  the  performer,  who  must  be 
sympathetic,  comprehending,  and  gifted;  then  the  instrument,  or 
instruments,  which  must  be  sensitive  works  of  art.  If  either  of 
these  agencies  is  lacking  the  composer  suffers,  for  his  work  is 
inadequately  expressed.  If  it  concerns  the  larger  compositions 
such  as  oratorios,  operas,  or  symphonies,  the  difficulties  of  proper 
presentation  are  enormously  increased.  A small  army  of  per- 
formers is  now  necessary,  each  of  whom  must  be  skilful,  sympa- 
thetic, and  talented.  The  conductor  of  these  forces  must  needs 
be  thoroughly  appreciative  of  the  spirit  of  the  works,  able,  alert, 
vigorous,  and  commanding.  Even  then  the  desired  effect  may 
fail  if  either  singers  or  players  lack  in  intelligence,  interest,  capaci- 
ty, or  appreciation. 

Aside  from  the  charm  of  concordant  sounds  and  the  inter- 
weaving of  more  or  less  independent  voices,  music  possesses  an 
attribute  which  parallels  closely  the  fundamental  principle  of  life 
— the  principle  of  regularly  recurring  pulsations.  It  is  the  quality 
of  rhythmic  movement  that  is  the  essential  basis  of  all  music  and 
without  it  music  is  but  a spineless  and  meaningless  quantity.  This 
vibrating  force  which  is  the  amplification  and  multiplication  of  the 
life-blood  principle,  plus  the  every-varying  tone  combinations 
which  are  more  or  less  imitations  or  expansions  of  the  human 
voice,  gives  a human  touch  to  music  possessed  by  no  other  art. 
It  is  a marvelously  sensitive  art  whereby  the  most  intimate  emo- 
tions can  be  expressed.  Not  only  are  they  most  amply  expressed 
but  they  may  be  discussed  and  argued  at  great  length  and  in 
constantly  shifting  aspects.  It  is  precisely  in  this  indefinite  and 
inexhaustible  capacity  for  logical  argument  and  development  that 
the  enduring  power  of  so-called  classical  music  lies,  and  the  fact 
that  classical  music  is  not  more  widely  understood  and  appreci- 
ated is  simply  because  the  average  person  is  too  inexperienced  or 
too  untrained  to  catch  the  purport  of  it  all. 

An  art  of  this  complex  and  far-reaching  character  demands 
unswerving  devotion,  high  ideals,  and  unremitting  labor  on  the 
part  of  those  who  would  interpret  it  worthily.  So  exhausting  are 


8 


its  demands  upon  time  and  effort  that  it  becomes  a serious  ques- 
tion as  to  its  proper  relation  to  an  educational  scheme.  This  sug- 
gests the  general  topic  of  Music  in  the  University  which  will  now 
be  considered  briefly.  This  subject  naturally  groups  itself  under 
three  headings: 

I  Music  and  the  General  Student  Body. 

II  Music  and  the  Amateur  Musician. 

Ill  Music  and  the  Professional  Musician. 

Group  I brings  up  the  query  what  can  or  what  ought  to  be 
done  for  the  students  who  have  neither  the  time  nor  the  inclina- 
tion to  pursue  ordered  music  studies.  There  are  two  answers  to 
this  question,  the  first  of  which  is  to  organize  and  develop 
community  and  group  singing.  The  second  is  to  deliver  popular 
lectures  and  to  give  specially  arranged  concerts  so  that  the  stu- 
dent body  at  large  may  obtain  some  little  insight  into  the  import 
and  purport  of  music — some  little  knowledge  of  the  great  com- 
posers and  their  works.  Our  great  American  musician,  Edward 
MacDowell,  when  occupying  the  Chair  of  Music  at  Columbia 
University,  started  a train  of  trouble  which  culminated  in  his 
resignation  when  he  accused  the  authorities  of  graduating  bar- 
barians. This  harsh  criticism  savored  of  artistic  temperament 
perhaps,  but  MacDowell  maintained  that  a university  graduate 
should  at  least  have  a speaking  acquaintance  with  the  creative 
geniuses  of  the  various  arts  as  well  as  with  their  outstanding  pro- 
ductions. His  vigorous  protest  seems  to  have  borne  but  little 
fruit. 

Singing  seems  to  be  almost  a natural  function  of  the  human 
body.  Many  will  emphatically  deny  that  they  can  sing,  but  under 
stress  of  great  feeling  or  excitement,  ninety-nine  out  of  a hundred 
find  they  can  produce  vocal  effects  approximating  singing.  Com- 
munity singing  is  not  necessarily  an  artistic  product.  Its  primary 
purpose  is  the  focusing  of  feeling  or  emotion  through  the  peculiar 
qualities  of  music.  The  exigencies  of  rhythm  require  that  all  say 
the  same  word  at  the  same  time.  The  expressiveness  of  melody 
enhances  and  intensifies  the  meaning  of  the  text  and  harmony 
enriches  and  suffuses  the  whole  structure  with  a warmth  and 
charm  of  its  own.  If  you  doubt  this  statement,  have  your  audi- 
ence recite  a national  hymn  instead  of  singing  it.  There  are  few 
things  which  bring  so  large  a return  on  the  investment  as  singing. 
This  was  demonstrated  in  the  army  and  in  the  wave  of  commu- 
nity singing  which  spread  over  the  land.  Unfortunately,  a move- 
ment of  this  kind  can  well  be  started  by  enthusiastic  amateurs  of 
which  there  are  plenty.  But  the  upbuilding  and  development 
of  such  a start  requires  trained  leadership  and  through  the  lack 
of  such  leadership  community  singing  has  declined.  In  a univer- 


9 


sity,  however,  such  trained  leadership  should  be  at  hand,  and  if  a 
tradition  of  student  singing  is  once  thoroughly  established  in  an 
institution  it  will  be  an  achievement  that  is  eminently  worth  while. 
As  a nation  we  are  too  reserved,  too  self-conscious,  and  too  finicky 
about  our  vocal  dignity.  Mass  singing  is  a pleasant  and  effective 
antidote  for  these  unlovely  ills. 

The  next  provision  in  a college  curriculum  will  be  for  the 
musically  inclined  students,  those  who  have  already  paid  more 
or  less  attention  to  its  study  and  who  wish  further  to  perfect 
themselves  as  performers  or  who  desire  to  have  a more  intelligent 
insight  into  the  nature  and  structure  of  musical  art.  For  these 
there  must  be  classes  in  harmony,  appreciation,  musical  form  and 
history,  counterpoint,  composition,  and  so  on,  as  well  as  instruc- 
tion in  singing  and  playing.  There  is  so  much  native  talent  in 
our  country  that  gifted  amateurs  often  vie  with  professionals  in 
their  musical  abilities.  Without  a body  of  interested  and  appre- 
ciative non-professionals,  no  art  can  possibly  progress,  if  indeed 
it  can  survive.  They  are  the  people  who  support  high  artistic 
endeavor  and  who  encourage  both  executant  and  composer.  The 
artistic  status  of  any  country  is  dependent  upon  these  genuine 
art  lovers  and  their  education  is*  of  the  first  importance.  It  is 
from  the  ranks  of  this  class  of  students  that  choral  societies,  glee 
clubs,  orchestras  and  bands  will  be  recruited.  They  will  act  as 
musical  missionaries  not  only  to  their  fellow  students  but  also 
to  their  home  communities  in  later  life. 

To  take  proper  care  of  the  student  who  wishes  to  make 
music  his  chief  aim  in  life  is  a problem  that  I have  been  wrestling 
with  for  thirty  years.  There  are  certain  advantages  in  making 
elaborate  pre-requisites  for  the  student  of  law,  medicine,  engineer- 
ing, or  any  profession  which  does  not  call  upon  physical  dexterity. 
They  are  thus  given  a broader  foundation  and  the  increased 
mental  training  fits  them  all  the  better  for  their  specialized  work. 
But  unfortunately,  the  basis  of  sound  musicianship  consists  of  an 
intimate  knowledge  of  tones  and  notes  that  only  comes  after  years 
of  close  application  to  some  instrument.  Maturity  of  muscles 
spells  increasing  rigidity  and  unless  one  is  well  started  in  his 
teens,  it  is  well-nigh  hopeless  to  become  a capable  executant. 
Moreover,  the  process  cannot  be  interrupted  for  a term  of  years 
no  matter  how  favorable  a start  may  have  been  made. 

Virtuosity  means  ceaseless  slavery  to  voice  or  instrument 
and  even  the  more  moderate  modicum  of  playing  ability  required 
for  the  composer,  conductor,  or  teacher  demands  continual  atten- 
tion. The  result  of  this  is  that  it  makes  it  practically  impossible 
for  a music  student  to  develop  a professional  technique,  acquire 
the  necessary  theoretical  and  esthetic  knowledge  of  his  art,  and 


io 


pursue  all  the  required  college  subjects  for  a liberal  education  at 
the  same  time.  The  college  years  are  precisely  the  years  which 
will  determine  his  standing  in  his  profession.  As  a matter  of  fact 
there  is  little  time  to  do  else  but  purely  musical  studies.  But  it 
must  be  borne  well  in  mind  that  there  are  certain  compensating 
conditions.  For  instance  the  history  of  music  should  be  taught 
as  correlated  history.  Politics,  industry,  learning,  and  art  are  all 
inextricably  interwoven  in  the  development  of  mankind  and  the 
music  student  should  be  taught  the  proper  perspective  of  his  own 
art  to  these  factors.  Then  harmony  and  counterpoint,  especially 
the  latter,  make  distinct  demands  upon  the  mathematical  faculties. 
These  studies  make  continuous  demands  upon  the  calculative  and 
analytical  powers  of  the  student.  Good  music  is  made  up  of 
other  elements  than  emotional  gush.  It  requires  real  brains  to 
compose  or  even  to  dissect  a large  musical  composition.  Such  a 
work  calls  not  only  on  rare  qualities  of  feeling,  taste,  and  judg- 
ment, but  its  mechanics  are  as  involved  as  the  engine  of  a battle- 
ship and  each  part  to  the  minutest  must  function  properly.  A 
great  symphony,  opera,  or  oratorio  is  no  haphazard  production 
guided  by  so-called  inspiration.  Inspiration  plays  its  part  in  the 
initial  urge,  but  when  one  has  witnessed  the  manner  in  which  a 
Beethoven  slowly  and  meticulously  develops  a masterpiece  out  of 
crude  beginnings,  one  readjusts  his  idea  of  inspiration  and  admits 
that  intellect  plays  the  larger  part.  To  get  the  message  in  a seri- 
ous work,  such  as  a sonata  or  symphony,  requires  years  of  prepa- 
ration, an  analytical  bent,  and  great  concentration  of  both  mental 
and  artistic  faculties. 

Another  department  of  music  study  which  makes  especial 
demands  upon  trained  intellect  is  that  of  criticism  and  esthetics. 
To  explain  the  artistic  content  of  music  or  to  put  in  words  the 
definite  but  still  elusive  message  of  music  is  indeed  a difficult  task 
and  calls  upon  literary  qualities  of  a high  order.  James  Huneker, 
Daniel  Gregory  Mason,  Edward  Dickinson  and  Philip  Goepp,  to 
mention  the  better  known  musical  litterateurs,  all  possess  the  rare 
gift  of  giving  verbal  equivalents  to  the  spell  and  spiritual  signifi- 
cance of  music. 

These  aspects  of  music  and  music  study  are  so  little  known 
that  I cannot  refrain  from  dwelling  upon  them.  A well-informed 
musician  has  no  need  to  apologize  for  the  quality  of  his  mentality. 
It  may  differ  in  kind  from  that  of  his  scientific  colleagues,  but  it 
is  there  and  represents  the  accumulations  of  painstaking  devotion 
to  and  concentrated  study  of  an  abstruse  subject  and  one  that  is 
but  little  understood  outside  of  the  higher  walks  of  the  profession. 

Musicianship  in  the  average  mind  is  too  often  confounded 
with  performance.  While  practical  performance  does  make  for 


ii 


musicianship  and  is  usually  an  essential  to  fine  musical  under- 
standing, yet  it  is  possible  to  be  a great  composer,  conductor, 
critic,  theorist,  or  litterateur  with  little  or  no  performing  ability. 
The  gifts  of  oratory  bear  a close  relation  to  the  gifts  for  musical 
performance.  Quite  young  people  with  a talent  for  verbal  ex- 
pression will  put  into  the  recitation  of  a classic  poem  far  more 
than  their  intellectual  understanding  would  warrant.  Their  na- 
tures respond  readily  to  emotional  suggestion  and  a glimmering 
of  proper  comprehension  is  all  that  is  necessary  for  an  effective 
reading.  On  the  other  hand,  many  people  with  a deep  and  search- 
ing appreciation  of  a great  poem  cannot  possibly  give  it  adequate 
vocal  expression.  It  is  precisely  so  with  musical  performance. 
Some  persons  have  an  extraordinary  instinct  for  interpretation, 
an  instinct  which  is  not  always  backed  by  sound  musicianship 
or  an  analytical  knowledge  of  the  intent  of  the  composer.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  are  intellectual  musicians  with  a keen  flair  for 
the  subtleties  of  a Brahms  or  a Debussy,  but  who  cannot  bring 
this  appreciation  to  others  through  their  own  performing  ability. 
Such  musicians,  as  has  just  been  intimated,  develop  into  com- 
posers, conductors,  writers,  or  teachers. 

It  is  the  part  of  the  university  schools  of  music  to  take  the 
native  musical  talent  as  it  presents  itself  and  endeavor  to  balance 
up  the  final  product  into  a well-rounded  whole,  striving  to  place  a 
more  solid  foundation  under  the  intuitive  player  and  helping 
those  who  lack  in  musical  self-expression  to  a fuller  utterance. 
It  is  also  distinctly  the  duty  of  such  schools  to  stress  morals  and 
conduct  and  to  give  to  its  students  as  much  general  culture  as  is 
humanly  possible. 

A word  for  the  interpretative  gift  which  seems  to  spring  from 
no  deep  well  of  knowledge  or  understanding.  In  its  higher  man- 
ifestations it  is  a rare  and  precious  gift  and  it  is  to  be  by  no  means 
underrated.  It  gives  to  the  world  vivid  tone  pictures  of  the  inner 
soul  of  both  poet  and  musician.  Without  its  persuasive  eloquence 
the  arts  of  poetry  and  music  would  suffer  greatly  in  their  ministry 
to  humanity.  In  our  schools,  then,  let  us  endeavor  to  help  these 
talented  souls  to  a better  understanding  of  their  own  genius. 

When  we  stop  to  consider  what  beauty  and  nobility  of 
language,  of  line,  of  color,  of  sound  has  meant  to  human  beings, 
it  is  difficult  to  understand  why  objections  can  possibly  be  made 
to  the  inclusion  of  art  and  art  study  as  a recognized,  stable,  and 
important  place  in  our  program  of  education,  lower  as  well  as 
higher.  Strip  Europe  of  her  art  treasures,  her  concert  halls  and 
opera  houses  and  how  much  of  the  lure  of  travel  in  her  direction 
would  remain!  What  pride  we  take  when  an  American  million- 
aire brings  a great  work  of  art  to  our  shores! 


12 


The  regrettable  part  of  it  all  is  that  a trip  to  Europe  is  so 
often  the  first  awakening  of  higher  art  appreciation  on  the  part 
of  a people  who  have  been  all  but  starved  in  their  own  country. 
Art  is  accounted  the  flower  of  all  culture,  but  we  as  a nation  have 
been  contented  with  the  weeds.  The  latent  talent  among  us  is 
amazing  and  needs  but  little  urge  to  blossom  forth. 

The  state  institutions  of  learning,  and  more  particularly  the 
state  universities,  occupy  strategic  positions  in  our  educational 
systems.  They  encompass  a wider  social  range  than  the  endowed 
seminaries  and  colleges.  Their  inexpensiveness  opens  their  gates 
to  multitudes  who  otherwise  could  not  consider  higher  education. 
They  of  all  institutions  should  strive  to  train  the  minds,  the  con- 
sciences, and  the  artistic  perceptions  of  our  young  people,  and  to 
set  before  them  and  fix  in  their  minds  ideals  of  a truly  broad 
culture. 

The  position  of  the  Director  of  Music  of  the  University  of 
Illinois  is  one  of  significance  and  responsibility.  It  is  a formidable 
task  to  have  the  musical  destinies  of  a large  educational  institu- 
tion upon  one’s  mind  and  conscience.  Such  a task  has  been  mine 
for  over  thirty  years.  At  Northwestern  we  have  made  progress 
in  the  building  up  of  a professional  school  and  in  choral,  orches- 
tral, and  festival  activities.  Much  has  been  left  undone  due  to 
lack  of  equipment  and  human  limitations.  Where  we  have  mostly 
failed  is  in  the  extension  of  music  in  the  general  life  of  the  Uni- 
versity. While  much  is  offered  to  him  who  will  take,  still  music 
has  not  been  sufficiently  planted  in  the  path  of  the  great  mass  of 
undergraduates.  If  they  will  not  come  to  it,  it  must  be  brought 
to  them.  It  goes  without  saying  that  music  in  the  university  as 
outlined  here  can  only  be  brought  to  fruition  where  the  master 
mind  can  control  a sufficient  number  of  skilled  assistants  to  carry 
out  fully  so  comprehensive  a plan. 

Your  new  Director  of  Music  enjoys  a wonderful  physical 
plant — the  finest  in  the  country — and  such  noble  architecture  can 
only  house  the  highest  and  best  in  musical  art.  He  comes  from 
an  institution  which  has  rendered  a great  service  to  the  country 
in  his  chosen  profession.  He  is  able  to  bring  a definite  and  dis- 
tinct contribution  to  the  development  of  music  and  music  study 
to  the  University  of  Illinois.  I trust  all  plans  for  the  the  dignify- 
ing and  the  enlarging  of  his  department  may  be  met  with  open 
minds  and  sympathetic  understanding.  Personally,  and  on  the 
part  of  my  colleagues  at  Northwestern,  I wish  both  him  and  the 
great  institution  he  represents  a notable  and  successful  career  in 
the  upbuilding  of  an  art  which  greatly  enriches  life  and  which 
ministers  so  abundantly  to  rich  and  poor,  the  cultivated  and 
the  ignorant,  the  just  and  the  unjust. 


13 


THE  INDUCTION 

President  David  Kinley 

The  occasion  of  our  gathering  tonight  is  of  much  significance, 
not  only  to  the  University  but  to  the  whole  Central  West.  The 
development  which  this  gathering  indicates  is  significant  of  a fur- 
ther advance  of  the  educational  frontier  which  follows  surely  the 
advance  of  the  economic  frontier.  In  other  words,  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  economic  needs  of  the  life  of  a people  gives  an  impetus 
to  those  other  elements  of  culture  which  appeal  more  particularly 
to  the  intellect,  the  heart,  the  soul  of  man. 

Tonight  we  are  inducting  into  office  a new  director  of  our 
School  of  Music.  I trust  that  before  the  year  is  over  we  shall  in 
a fitting  way  dedicate  the  new  building  of  that  school.  I hope 
that  in  these  fine  new  quarters  and  with  the  impulse  given  by  a 
new  administration,  the  musical  interests  of  the  University  will 
take  a larger  place  in  our  life  and  influence  more  deeply  and  more 
widely  the  culture  of  the  whole  institution  and,  indeed,  of  the 
State;  and  I trust  that  that  influence  will  take  the  shape  of  arous- 
ing mental  and  spiritual  activity  on  the  part  of  the  students  so 
that  instead  of  being  the  passive  receptacles  of  faculty  instruction, 
they  will  themselves  become  sources  of  inspiration  and  leader- 
ship in  matters  that  affect  the  spirit. 

Of  course  there  are  many  people  in  whose  opinion  skill  in 
music  and  appreciation  of  music,  of  literature,  and  of  the  fine 
arts  in  general,  are  entirely  and  delightfully  useless.  Of  what  use 
is  a mere  musician  in  these  days  of  strenuous  industrial  and  other 
economic  activity?  Let  our  starving  painters  turn  to  some  useful 
occupation  like  house  painting.  Bid  our  sculptors  handle  clay  by 
taking  it  out  of  ditches  instead  of  molding  it  into  beautiful  sym- 
metries. I do  not,  of  course,  sympathize  with  this  view.  We  need 
in  our  education  here  and  elsewhere,  especially  in  this  country, 
more  that  will  teach  us  to  live,  instead  of  merely  to  make  a living. 
The  latter  is  in  a sense  first;  but  no  one’s  days  are  wholly  filled 
with  making  a living.  His  leisure  time  in  his  active  days,  and 
frequently  years  of  his  old  age,  require  knowledge  of  and  skill  in 
some  of  those  subjects  commonly  but  roughly  described  by  the 
name,  fine  arts,  including  literature,  painting,  sculpture,  music. 
No  person  is  fully  educated,  therefore,  in  a liberal  sense  and,  in- 
deed, no  technically  trained  person  is  fully  “trained”  for  life,  how- 
ever well  prepared  he  may  be  for  his  technical  calling,  who  has 
not  acquired  some  sense  of  appreciation  or  an  interest  in  one  or 
another  of  these  fields. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  I am  anxious  to  see  an  interest  in 
music  and  art  and  general  literature  spread  among  the  students  of 
the  University.  To  be  sure,  some  will  tell  me  that  the  students  are 


now  generally  interested  in  music.  But  there  is  music  and  music. 
We  listen  to  the  lofty  strains  of  that  instrument  which,  after  all, 
is  the  one  that  draws  us  nearest  heaven — the  pipe  organ — and 
feel  our  souls  lifted.  We  listen  to  the  so-called  “jazz”  music,  if 
we  can  without  degradation  attach  the  word  “music”  to  this  sort 
of  noise,  and  feel  ourselves  either  degraded  or  at  war  with  all  that 
is  beautiful.  For  music  is  an  agent  that  may  lift  the  soul  to 
heaven  or  cast  it  down  to  hell.  It  is,  or  may  be,  an  accompani- 
ment of  the  noblest  emotion  or  the  finest  act  of  heroism,  on  the 
one  hand,  and  of  the  most  degraded  feeling  and  the  vilest  deed, 
on  the  other.  One  could  spend  much  time  in  philosophizing  upon 
the  relation  of  different  kinds  of  music,  of  the  creations  of  different 
musicians,  and  of  different  kinds  of  musical  instruments,  to  the 
kinds  of  emotions  which  they  respectively  educe.  But  it  would 
require  one  more  learned  in  these  things  than  I am  to  do  it.  I 
may  be  permitted,  however,  to  express  the  opinion  that  the  so- 
called  “jazz”  music  is  the  musical  aspect  of  the  intellectual  and 
spiritual  demoralization,  the  cultural  anarchy,  which  in  a large 
degree  has  overtaken  the  world  in  recent  years.  It  is  a return  to 
the  tom-tom  period.  On  the  literary  side  it  has  its  counterpart 
in  those  so-called  literary  productions  which,  expressing  in  more 
or  less  jerky  prose  somewhat  platitudinous  opinions  of  cloudy 
thinking  writers,  are  by  a stretch  of  imagination  classified  as 
poetry  of  the  modern  sort.  The  impressionist  in  art,  the  “jazzist” 
in  music,  the  poet  without  poetical  expression,  are  all  in  the  same 
class.  Their  work  does  embody  and  reflect  certain  truths.  It 
does  in  a real  sense  mirror  certain  aspects  of  life — but  it  is  the 
riot  of  life,  the  demoralization  of  life,  a departure  by  choice  from 
that  clear  vision  of  heaven  which  the  rebel  angels  made  when 
they  fled  with  Satan  from  the  flaming  sword  of  Gabriel.  It  would 
be  interesting,  too,  to  reflect  upon  the  effects  of  music  as  ex- 
pressed through  different  musical  instruments.  But  where  the 
poet  dared  not  decide,  I may  not  venture  even  an  opinion.  So, 
with  Dryden,  I must 

Let  old  Timotheus  yield  the  prize 
Or  both  divide  the  crown , 

He  raised  a mortal  to  the  skies 
She  drew  an  angel  down. 

It  is  my  hope  that  the  work  of  this  School  of  Music  will  be 
in  several  fields  and  accomplish  several  results.  By  fields  I do 
not  mean  different  kinds  of  instrumental  and  vocal  music.  I mean 
rather  divisions  of  the  educational  or  inspirational  fields  within 
which  music  of  all  kinds  finds  its  expression.  In  other  words,  I 
hope  that  the  work  of  this  School  will  be  to  train  performers,  to 


inspire  creators,  and  to  give  to  the  life  of  all  the  rest  of  us  who 
are  neither  performers  nor  music  creators  a new  light,  a better 
appreciation  of  the  fine  things  of  life,  a knowledge  which  will  be 
to  each  of  us  a means  of  making  life  sweeter  and  more  enjoyable. 
To  put  the  matter  in  another  way,  its  largest  duty*  or  perhaps  I 
should  say  its  duty  to  the  largest  number,  will  be  to  instill  in  us 
a finer  appreciation  of  good  music.  Its  second  duty  will  be  to 
train  its  immediate  students  to  a greater  or  less  skill  in  musical 
performance.  Its  third,  I trust,  and  in  a way  its  highest,  although 
in  scope  its  smallest,  duty  will  be  in  time,  after  the  years,  to  give 
to  the  State,  to  the  country,  and  to  the  world  some  great  musical 
performer  or  creator. 

A great  musical  creator  is  a creator,  like  other  artistic  creators, 
only  in  the  sense  that  he  grasps  the  spirit  of  humanity  in  some  age 
or  aspect  or  conditions  and  gives  it  expression  in  his  particular 
language — music.  He  cannot  get  away  from  life;  but  he  is  a great 
musician,  just  as  one  is  a great  sculptor  or  a great  writer,  only  if 
he  gets  a large  and  true  view  of  the  finest  relations  of  life  and  has 
the  ability  and  technique  to  give  expression  to  his  vision.  I hope 
that  in  time  from  this  School  of  Music  such  a creator  will  go.  I 
trust,  too,  that  into  the  life  of  the  University  the  music  of  the 
School  of  Music  will  enter  more  largely  than  ever  before.  It  is 
an  opportunity  for  the  Music  Faculty  to  interest  most  or  all  of  us 
in  music  and  to  get  us  all  to  do  what  we  can  in  a musical  way. 

Musical  education  in  the  United  States  has  a longer  life  and 
has  exerted  a wider  influence  than  many  people  think.  If  I were 
to  describe  even  briefly  the  attempts  made  in  this  country  since 
the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  to  develop  music  through 
conservatories  and  musical  societies  of  one  kind  or  another,  I 
would  use  the  whole  evening.  I cannot  do  more  than  call  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  such  efforts  to  develop  music  in  America  have 
run  on  for  more  than  two  hundred  years.  The  attempt  to  de- 
velop music  as  a part  of  education  in  colleges  and  universities  is 
much  more  recent.  I think  that  it  was  Harvard  University 
which  anticipated  by  a few  months  in  1875  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  in  establishing  a Department  of  Music.  Professor 
John  J.  Paine,  who  had  under  somewhat  strenuous  conditions 
taught  music  at  Harvard  fourteen  years,  was  appointed  Professor 
of  Music  in  1875.  Professor  Hugh  A.  Clark  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  the  Science  of  Music  at  Pennsylvania  in  the  same  year. 
Music  was  taught  early  in  the  life  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
but  I think  it  was  not  until  1888  that  the  appointment  of  Professor 
A.  A.  Stanley  established  music  as  a fully  recognized  part  of  the 
University  curriculum.  Yale  followed  in  1894  with  the  appoint- 
ment of  Horatio  W.  Parker,  and  Columbia  in  1896  with  the  ap- 


16 


pointment  of  Professor  E.  A.  MacDowell.  Such  departments  or 
schools  now  exist  in  a large  number  of  educational  institutions, 
among  them  Dartmouth,  Vassar,  Smith,  Wellesley,  Yale,  our  own 
institution,  as  well  as  many  others. 

Musical  study  was  first  offered  in  this  University  in  1872-3. 
Music  has  been  taught  continuously  here,  organized  as  a depart- 
ment until  1894,  being  part  of  the  work  of  one  of  the  undergrad- 
uate colleges.  In  1894,  the  courses  were  reorganized,  and  Mr. 
C.  W.  Foster  of  Champaign  was  made  Director.  At  this  time 
we  began  giving  certificates  of  graduation  in  Music.  The  follow- 
ing year  the  work  was  organized  as  a School  of  Music,  with  Walter 
Howe  Jones  as  Director,  who  remained  with  us  until  1901.  He 
was  succeeded  as  Director  by  Professor  Frederick  Lawrence  in 
1903,  who  remained  here  until  1910.  Following  Professor  Law- 
rence came  Professor  Charles  Henry  Mills,  who  left  us  in  1914  to 
go  to  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  His  successor  was  Professor 
John  Lawrence  Erb,  who  joined  our  staff  in  1914  and  resigned 
last  summer. 

The  present  Director,  Mr.  Frederic  B.  Stiven,  was  born  in 
Ionia,  Michigan,  in  1882.  He  studied  two  years,  beginning  1909 
with  Alexandre  Guilemant  in  Paris.  In  1911-12  he  studied  or- 
chestration with  Widor  and  became  an  Associate  of  the  American 
Guild  of  Organists  in  1912.  He  received  his  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Music  fpom  the  Oberlin  Conservatory  of  Music  in  1907.  Mr. 
Stiven  taught  in  the  Oberlin  conservatories  as  instructor,  associate 
professor,  and  professor  from  1907  to  the  date  of  his  coming  here 
last  September.  During  part  of  that  time  he  was  organist  and 
choir  master  of  the  Euclid  Avenue  Christian  Church  and  the 
Calvary  Presbyterian  Church  of  Cleveland. 

Director  Stiven,  you  are  called  to  a great  opportunity  and 
a great  responsibility.  It  is  your  duty  and  responsibility  to  de- 
velop this  School  of  Music  not  only  so  that  it  will  turn  out  good 
musicians  but  so  that  its  influence  will  permeate  the  life  of  the 
whole  University  and  raise  our  standards  of  musical  taste  and 
improve  our  cultural  spirit.  That  you  will  be  successful  in  your 
work  I do  not  doubt,  and  I wish  you  for  the  Trustees  and  the 
colleagues  of  the  faculty  God  speed. 


THE  CONTRIBUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MUSIC  TO 
THE  STATE  AND  UNIVERSITY 

Frederic  B.  Stiven 

Every  thoughtful  student  of  humanity  today  recognizes  that 
one  of  the  great  influences  of  civilization  is  music.  He  is  indeed 
a man  with  a small  vision  who  belittles  the  importance  of  this  art 
in  the  progress  of  the  world.  There  is  nothing  that  so  binds  to- 
gether the  hearts  of  men,  that  so  draws  them  into  a “fraternity  of 
common  need,”  that  so  consoles  the  broken-hearted  or  gives  ex- 
pression to  the  joyous  enthusiasm  of  life,  as  music. 

The  history  of  mankind  is  the  history  of  music.  The  hiero- 
glyphic inscriptions  of  ancient  Egypt  and  Assyria  give  proof  that 
music  was  an  important  social  agent  of  that  early  period.  The 
Hebrew  nation  sang  the  Psalms  of  David  and  gave  praise  to  their 
Jehovah  “upon  an  instrument  of  ten  strings,  and  upon  the  psal- 
tery.” The  early  Church  depended  largely  on  music  for  its  in- 
spiration and  consolation.  Luther’s  battle  was  half  won  when  the 
people  began  to  sing  the  hymns  of  the  Reformation.  The  patri- 
otism of  the  French- was  inspired  to  deeds  of  valor  by  “La  Mar- 
seillaise” in  the  Revolution.  “John  Brown’s  Body”  and  “Tramp, 
Tramp,  Tramp”  kept  up  the  spirit  of  the  North  in  the  dark  days 
of  our  own  Civil  war;  and  no  one  has  the  courage  to  deny  what 
music  did  in  this  last  great  war;  how  it  fired  the  patriotism  of  the 
soldier;  how  it  inspired  the  generosity  of  the  man  at  home;  how 
it  brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  the  loved  ones  left  behind;  how  it 
comforted  the  sick  and  wounded. 

There  is  no  question,  then,  as  to  the  importance  of  music  in 
the  economy  of  the  world.  Nor  can  there  arise  naturally  any 
doubt  as  to  the  importance  of  the  need  of  education  in  music.  An 
art,  which  through  the  ages  has  exerted,  even  in  its  undeveloped 
state,  such  an  influence,  must  hold  in  its  depths  a power  for  good 
far  greater,  infinitely  larger  than  any  that  has  yet  been  compre- 
hended. Such  a power  must  be  utilized,  then,  in  the  building  up 
of  life,  in  giving  more  of  joy  and  peace  to  man.  What  the  world 
needs  is  not  bread  and  butter  but  a changed  mentality,  and  music 
is  one  of  the  great  factors  which  will  go  far  in  harmonizing  the 
hearts  of  men.  Because  the  world  does  need  ideals  of  religion, 
art,  music,  these  are  as  legitimate  and  important  goals  of  educa- 
tion as  are  the  more  material  branches. 

For  some  years  past,  American  educators  have  been  awaken- 
ing to  this  fact.  The  educational  progress  of  music  in  this  country 
during  the  last  half  century  has  been  remarkable.  Indeed,  a noted 
writer  recently  declared  that  not  more  than  twenty-five  years  ago 
“music  was  not  part  of  a serious  education;  it  was  a fashionable 

18 


accomplishment.  What  were  called  ‘lessons’  were  given,  but 
nothing  was  taught.  Such  a method,  if  method  it  might  be  called, 
is  now  changed  for  a full,  rational,  and  liberal  study,  carried  on 
just  as  thoroughly,  as  intellectually,  and  as  systematically  as  in 
any  other  serious  branch  of  learning.” 

In  this  development,  the  thinking  musician  has  been  looking 
to  the  educational  institutions  of  the  country  as  the  place  where 
the  furtherance  of  this  progress  can  best  be  accomplished.  “Music 
suffers  like  the  drama,”  says  a prominent  critic,  “from  the  com- 
mon use  of  it  among  intelligent  people  for  recreation  and  amuse- 
ment, rather  than  as  something  intellectually  profitable  and  de- 
manding serious  mental  application  as  its  right.”  To  the  univer- 
sity and  the  college,  then,  the  serious  minded  musician  has  nat- 
urally turned,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  see  how  the  doors  of  those 
great  halls  of  learning  are  gradually  being  flung  open  to  his  art. 

There  has  been  a great  deal  of  agitation  in  musical  circles 
recently  about  the  establishment  of  a National  Conservatory  of 
Music,  sponsored  by  the  Federal  Government  under  the  direct 
supervision  of  a proposed  Secretary  of  Fine  Arts.  Some  of  the 
European  countries,  notably  France,  have  for  many  years  main- 
tained national  conservatories  of  high  rank.  Indeed,  practically 
all  of  the  famous  musicians  of  France  for  over  one  hundred  years 
have  been  products  of  the  Conservatoire  National,  and  the  list  is 
one  of  which  France  may  well  be  proud.  In  my  opinion,  these 
names  also  give  irrefutable  answer  to  the  arguments  frequently 
heard  against  the  institutional  method  of  music  study.  But  France 
is  not  America.  The  racial  conditions,  the  governmental  situa- 
tion, the  extent  of  the  physical  boundaries,  the  departmental 
divisions  of  the  state,  all  are  so  different  in  France  that  the  condi- 
tions under  which  the  National  Conservatory  flourishes  there  do 
not  exist  in  this  country. 

The  population  of  France  is  overwhelmingly  native  born, 
akin  in  temperament,  outlook,  education.  The  United  States  is 
the  most  cosmopolitan  country  in  the  world.  Every  shade  of 
temperament,  every  phase  of  racial  characteristic  is  to  be  found 
here;  a thousand  viewpoints  have  to  be  considered;  an  educational 
condition  exists  that  runs  the  gamut  from  illiteracy  to  the  most 
profound  scholar.  The  government  of  the  French  Republic  has 
always  fostered  the  arts,  and  the  Minister  of  the  Beaux  Arts 
exercises  an  important  influence  in  the  affairs  of  state.  Our  gov- 
ernment has  not  as  yet  formally  recognized  the  fine  arts,  though 
I think  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  there  will  be  at  least  some 
official  departmental  recognition.  In  size  France  is  smaller  than 
our  largest  state;  the  United  States  covers  an  area  sixteen  times 
the  extent  of  the  French  Republic,  and  it  is  this  great  geographical 


19 


expanse  of  our  country,  with  the  attendant  wide  variation  of 
popular  interests  and  ideals,  which  forms  the  greatest  obstacle 
to  the  successful  establishment  of  a national  conservatory. 

But  this  very  obstacle  gives  rise  to  an  opportunity  for  the 
individual  states  to  build  up  within  their  own  state  universities 
institutions  devoted  to  this  most  beloved  of  all  arts — music.  To 
Illinois  belongs  the  honor  of  being  the  first  state  to  put  its  School 
of  Music  on  the  same  basis  as  the  other  colleges  of  its  great  Uni- 
versity. Nowhere  in  all  this  wide  country  is  there  a university 
which  offers  the  young  people  of  the  State  a thorough  education 
in  the  different  branches  of  the  musical  art,  with  practically  no 
financial  expenditure  on  the  part  of  the  student.  To  those  of  us 
who  are  conversant  with  the  expense  of  obtaining  an  education 
in  music  this  fact  looms  large,  not  only  from  an  economic  stand- 
point, but  because  it  heralds  a day  when  music  throughout  the 
country  will  be  stamped  with  the  state  seal  of  approval  as  one 
of  the  legitimate  factors  in  academic  education. 

Now  that  Illinois  has  so  declared  herself,  we  of  the  School 
of  Music  have  an  obligation  to  perform — a duty  to  each  and 
every  citizen  of  this  great  Commonwealth.  As  a result  of  the 
gift  of  one  of  the  former  trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois, 
together  with  the  cooperation  of  the  State,  there  has  come  to  this 
campus  this  magnificent  building  devoted  to  the  cause  of  music — 
a building  which  has  no  equal  in  all  the  country.  With  this  equip- 
ment and  in  these  surroundings,  inspiring  and  uplifting,  it  de- 
volves upon  us  so  to  develop  the  instructional  resources,  so  to 
foster  a zealous  enthusiasm  that  we  may  send  forth  from  here 
students  who  have  received  the  broadening  influence  of  academic 
studies,  who  are  professionally  well  equipped  as  technicians,  and 
who  above  all  have  retained  for  the  art  the  love  of  the  amateur; 
that  they  may  go  out  into  every  part  of  this  great  State  to  train 
the  coming  generation  and  to  educate  the  masses  in  hearing  and 
understanding  what  is  good  in  music.  I cannot  lay  too  much 
stress  on  this  last  mentioned  opportunity — the  education  of  the 
great  general  public  to  a comprehension  of  the  real  message  of 
music  to  mankind. 

Dr.  Dickinson  says:  “The  necessity  of  instruction  in  the  art 
of  hearing  music  can  hardly  be  denied  by  one  who  thinks  about 

the  matter The  amateur,  too  long  neglected,  is  beginning  to 

understand  his  needs  and  to  make  them  known.. . .He  has  no  wish 
to  become  a brilliant  player  or  vocalist  or  if  he  has,  there  is  no 
place  in  his  life  for  the  long  preparatory  drudgery.. . .But  he  does 
wish  to  cultivate  his  ear  and  his  powers  of  judgment,  to  know 
what  to  listen  for,  to  hear  what  musicians  hear  in  a musical  per- 
formance, to  learn  in  what  consist  the  factors  that  make  good 


20 


music.... In  a word,  he  wishes  to  make  music  also,  along  with 
books  and  pictures  and  all  beautiful  things,  a means  of  enriching 
his  inward  life.” 

In  the  present  situation  there  are  two  ways  by  which  this  may 
be  accomplished.  First,  of  course,  as  I have  already  stated,  by 
so  training  the  students  who  matriculate  in  the  School  of  Music 
that  they  may  go  out  with  an  adequate  education  and  above  all 
with  an  enthusiasm  to  spread  the  leavening  influence  of  good 
music  throughout  the  State.  The  second  way,  however,  which 
will  contribute  to  this  accomplishment  is  one  of  far  greater  im- 
portance. It  is  to  bring  into  the  lives  of  all  students  of  this  Uni- 
versity opportunities  to  hear  and  to  study  worth  while  music;  to 
give  to  the  seeking  amateur  that  which  will  meet  his  needs;  to 
awaken  in  the  indifferent  student  an  interest  in  this  phase  of  his 
cultural  education;  to  convince  the  scoffer  that  classical  music, 
so  called,  is  no  more  out  of  date  than  is  Shakespeare  or  Browning, 
but  is  comparable  in  every  way  to  the  products  of  the  great  minds 
of  literature.  This  to  me  is  the  outstanding  service  which  we  as 
one  of  the  Colleges  of  this  institution  can  render  to  the  University. 

Thus  devolves  upon  us  a second  duty,  a duty  which  if  well 
done  will  be  far-reaching  in  its  influence.  Already  the  School  of 
Music  has  done  much.  There  are  registered  today  three  hundred 
and  ten  students  from  other  colleges  who  are  taking  some  study 
offered  in  its  curriculum.  They  represent  every  college  on  the 
campus  save  one.  It  is  worthy  of  attention  to  know  that  forty- 
one  from  the  College  of  Commerce  are  taking  advantage  of  this 
opportunity,  twenty-one  from  the  Engineering  School — all  of 
them  men,  Two  hundred  and  five  from  the  College  of  Liberal 
Arts  and  sciences,  eighteen  from  Agriculture,  and  so  on.  This  is 
encouraging  but  it  is  only  a beginning.  It  is  but  the  dawn  which 
heralds  a new  day  in  the  School  of  Music,  a day  when  every  gate- 
way of  knowledge  and  appreciation  will  be  wide  open,  that  every 
student  may  enter  and  learn  that  his  feeling  for  the  art  deepens 
with  his  understanding  of  it.  Browning  says: 

To  match  and  mate 

Feeling  with  knowledge — make  as  manifest 
Soul's  work  as  mind's  work,  turbulence  as  rest, 

Hates,  loves,  joys,  woes,  hopes,  fears  that  rise  and  sink 
Ceaselessly .— 

Could  music  rescue  thus  from  Soul's  profound, 

Give  feeling  immortality  by  sound, 

Then  were  she  queenliest  of  arts. 

In  a survey  of  the  departments  of  music  in  the  leading  col- 
leges and  universities  of  the  country,  there  seem  to  be  four  dif- 
ferent aspects  of  study  emphasized. 


21 


The  first  is  musical  composition,  proceeded,  of  course,  by  a 
more  or  less  thorough  course  in  the  more  elementary  branches  of 
theoretical  study.  Certain  of  the  large  eastern  universities  stress 
this  side  of  the  study  of  music,  one  of  them  even  offering  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  with  music  the  major  subject.  The  sec- 
ond class  of  schools  lays  emphasis  on  the  side  of  virtuosity  in  pub- 
lic performance,  seeking  to  graduate  students  who  are  preeminently 
successful  as  executants.  A third  class  aims  to  give  the  students 
interested  in  music,  courses  of  a cultural  nature  only,  leading  to 
a better  appreciation  of  the  art  but  neglecting  to  a greater  or 
lesser  degree  the  practical  and  theoretical  branches.  Then  there 
is  a fourth  class  of  schools  in  which  the  ideal  for  the  music  de- 
partment is  a balance  of  the  three  aspects  just  mentioned — com- 
position, executive  ability,  and  a sincere  appreciation  of  the  art. 
This  embraces  that  for  which  I believe  the  School  of  Music  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  is  striving,  and  which  I am  sincerely  con- 
fident will  be  reached. 

In  addition  to  this  there  must  be  a certain  proportion  of  time 
given  to  subjects  of  general  cultural  education  outside  the  realm 
of  music.  Just  what  this  proportion  should  be  is  a debatable 
question.  Although  I am  convinced  of  the  worth  and  necessity 
of  such  subjects,  I do  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  the  musical 
education  of  the  School  of  Music  student  is  of  primary  import- 
ance. 

There  is  a tendency  in  most  educational  institutions  devoted 
to  the  art  of  music — and  I am  convinced  that  we  are  not  free 
from  it  here — to  blight  the  individuality  of  the  student.  The 
process  of  putting  every  person  through  practically  the  same  curric- 
ulum mold,  hoping  to  turn  him  out  the  same  kind  of  a musician 
as  his  brother,  is  a fallacious  one.  It  is  evident  that  this  could  not 
be  followed  in  other  branches  of  the  liberal  arts  or  sciences  with 
any  degree  of  success.  A student  majoring  in  philosophy,  for 
example,  can  not  be  made  to  follow  precisely  the  same  curriculum 
as  one  who  wishes  to  major  in  French,  if  he  expects  to  have  any 
specialized  knowledge  in  his  chosen  subject.  Just  so  it  seems 
obvious  that  a student  in  music  who  wishes  to  major  in  public 
school  music,  for  example,  cannot  be  well  grounded  in  his  partic- 
ular branch,  if  he  has  to  follow  practically  the  same  curriculum 
as  the  student  who  is  majoring  in  piano. 

All  education  can  be  divided  into  two  branches,  vocational 
and  cultural.  Music  by  its  very  nature  belongs  to  both.  The 
course  of  study,  then,  of  the  ideal  school  of  music  must  look  con- 
stantly at  both  these  goals.  There  must  always  be  borne  in  mind 
the  fact  that  the  duty  of  an  academic  institution  of  music  is,  first 
of  all,  to  provide  a foundation  of  general  knowledge,  a solid  basis, 


22 


comprehensive  in  its  scope,  which  will  give  to  its  students  a tech- 
nical and  an  appreciative  understanding  of  music  and  its  relation- 
ship to  other  arts.  In  addition  to  this  cultural  training  there 
must  come  some  degree  of  specialization  in  a particular  musical 
branch — the  vocational  aspect  of  the  training  offered.  Just  what 
the  proportion  of  these  two  elements  should  be  is  the  problem 
on  which  leading  educators  in  music  are  focusing  their  attention 
at  the  present  day. 

Let  me  say  here  very  emphatically  that  I do  not  believe  that 
the  School  of  Music  should  in  any  sense  be  a specialization  school 
as  such.  Our  aim  should  be  to  give  a broad  fundamental  training 
with  an  opportunity  to  develop  along  one  particular  line,  but  not 
to  emphasize  this  particular  line  at  the  expense  of  the  founda- 
tional training.  The  equipment  of  the  musician  who  goes  out 
from  a collegiate  institution  with  a Bachelor  of  Music  degree 
ought  to  be  quite  analogous  in  every  respect  to  the  equipment  of 
the  student  who  secures  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree.  He  has 
completed  a course  of  general  foundational  knowledge,  with 
special  stress  laid  on  one  particular  branch.  But  it  is  only  after 
further  pursuit  of  specialized  study  that  the  student  becomes  an 
authority  in  his  chosen  subject.  Similarly,  a Bachelor  of  Music 
candidate  can  never  expect  to  be  at  graduation  a great  pianist, 
an  accomplished  vocal  artist,  or  a violin  virtuoso.  It  will  be  only 
after  further  years  of  concentrated  specialized  study  that  artistic 
mastery  can  be  obtained. 

Thus  the  School  of  Music  has  a duty  which  it  owes  to  itself 
in  order  that  its  contribution  to  the  State  and  to  the  University 
may  be  of  the  greatest  value.  Upon  the  Director  falls  the  re- 
sponsibility in  a large  measure  of  so  formulating  the  policies,  of 
so  directing  the  instruction,  of  so  adjusting  the  courses  that  the 
students  may  go  out  from  here  well  trained  musicians,  men  and 
women  with  a thorough  understanding  of  their  subject  and  with 
a zeal  to  carry  their  work  into  every  part  of  the  State.  Coupled 
with  this  responsibility,  there  is  for  the  Director  here  at  the  Uni- 
versity an  opportunity  which  is  well-nigh  boundless.  Eight 
thousand  students  are  within  his  reach  to  be  in  some  way  influ- 
enced by  music.  It  may  not  be  possible  to  reach  all  of  them,  but 
to  many  he  will  have  the  joy  of  opening  up  visions  of  a new  world, 
a spiritual  world  untrammeled  with  human  sordidness.  William 
Butler  Yeats  says: 

“We  who  care  deeply  about  the  arts  find  ourselves  the  priest- 
hood of  an  almost  forgotten  faith,  and  we  must,  I think,  if  we 
would  win  the  people  again,  take  upon  ourselves  the  method  and 
fervor  of  a priesthood.” 


23 


“Consecration — yes — a priest  must  have  that,  together  with 
a willingness  to  undergo  resistance,  indifference,  hope  deferred. 
He  must  likewise  possess  knowledge  and  wisdom,  knowledge  of 
the  truth  he  teaches  so  that  his  own  faith  will  not  be  shaken, 
knowledge  of  the  needs  and  aptitude  of  those  among  whom  he 
labors,  and  the  wisdom  which  enables  him  to  adapt  the  means  to 
the  end,  and  to  seek  that  end  on  the  higher  levels  and  not  the 
lower.”  ( Education  of  a Music  Lover — Edward  Dickinson.) 

Mindful  of  this  responsibility,  may  I,  then,  as  the  Director 
of  the  School  of  Music,  pledge  myself  to  do  everything  within 
my  power  to  give  to  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois  through 
its  School  of  Music  an  unrivalled  opportunity  for  a professional 
education  and  here  in  the  University  to  make  it  possible  for  good 
music  to  touch  the  life  of  every  student,  that  he  may  realize  in 
some  degree  the  transcendent  power  of  the  art  to  assuage  the  bur- 
dens of  mankind  and  to  give  joy  and  peace  to  life. 


24 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  BULLETIN 

Issued  Weekly 

Vol.  XIX  December  19,  1921  No.  16 

[Entered  as  second-class  matter  December  n,  1912,  at  the  post  office  at  Urbana,  Illinois,  under 
the  Act  of  August  24,  1912.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  the  special  rate  of  postage  provided 
for  in  section  1103  Act  of  October  3,  1917,  authorized  July  31,  1918.] 


Addresses  Delivered  at  the  Induction  of 

Frederic  Benjamin  Stiven 

director  of  the  school  of  music 


DECEMBER  15.  1921 


